what would you do?

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Specializes in Emergency Psych, ICU.

Hi fellow AN members,

I am facing a dilemma which to some will sound stupid but at this point I need to hear any advice/opinion/critics I can get.

I've been a IEN for 6 years and been working acute psych since I got out of school tor between acute and psych, some circumstances got me into a psych ER which I love even though I miss the the technical aspect of care (dressings, drains, ngt etc..)

My goal has always been to do the job I love stateside, so I go through all the tribulations necessary to get licensed (i.e taking classes in the US) and I finally do. I was told then that I would be able to get sponsored right away: kinda funny when I think about it because that was 2 years ago and I got THIS close to losing my hard-earned license. Anyway fast forward to today and I can say that the saying is true "good things come to those who wait": I get a job with a green card offer, which of course I accept!

But now I'm petrified because I haven't done all the technical stuff in so long, I've completely lost confidence in myself and I am not sure I can handle it. Ending goal would be to go back to critical care anyway.

I have found refresher course that would start next feb but because the immigration process has been going so fast so far (6 weeks instead of 6 months), I have been told I most likely will get to the US by the end of this year instead of next spring.

The refresher course has a session starting this fall, but I have just accepted a psych job and I can't hardly see how they would give me 3 days off a month to do something that will lead me to leave the facility anyway.

So I guess my question is this:

1. Would you still ask and find some excuse as to why you need those specific days off?

2. Would you leave the job knowing you will most likely won't find one anyway (ok that one sounds utterly stupid i know)

3. Would you forget about the course and just start from scratch once you get to the new rehab job? They haven't been able to tell me how long the orientation would be nor on which specific floor I would be working. It will all depend on their needs by the time I get there.

Oh and I'm already back into study mode, since no HR will hire me except for psych positions.

thanks for taking the time to read/respond

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

OK, I get that an IEN = Internationally Educated Nurse but where are you currently working? Were/are you a psych tech? I'm confused by the timeline - "working psych since I got out of school" and "ending goal of going back to critical care". Then later referring to a "new rehab job"... were you already hired? Maybe it's just me.

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Specializes in Emergency Psych, ICU.
OK, I get that an IEN = Internationally Educated Nurse but where are you currently working? Were/are you a psych tech? I'm confused by the timeline - "working psych since I got out of school" and "ending goal of going back to critical care". Then later referring to a "new rehab job"... were you already hired? Maybe it's just me.

Sorry, let me clarify:

I had been working until 2 months ago as a RN in a psych ER. It was my first job out of nursing school.

I was there for 6 yrs and in the meantime I managed to get a leave of absence to take classes in the U.S. to sit the Nclex. I wasn't able to get sponsored contrary to what I had been told so I went back to my job in Europe.

Then I left that job to get into critical care because that's what I ultimately want to do, but was unable to find a position because HR will only consider me for psych position.

In the meantime a U.S. Rehab Hospital offered me a job which I took thinking that given the time frame that I was initially given I would have had the time to complete the refresher course and be more comfortable by the time immigration was done.But it isn't the case.

Hence my dilemma

Oh and now I took a position in a peds psych crisis unit, because that's the closest thing to what I like that I could find until I move to the U.S.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

If you want to have a job with more "technical" aspects, then find out more information about taking a Rehab hospital position.

Are you in the USA right now?

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Specializes in Emergency Psych, ICU.

No, immigration process is going on right now so I can't be.

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